I met Kate outside my room and we headed off for our Brioche breakfast together. The weather was favorable; instead of sunshine and heat we had an overcast with a cooling breeze. This is my kind of day to travel with bags and a sweatshirt on. The brioche was delicious too, just saying.
It was then the waiting game until Kate had finished cleaning every last bit of her room. I wrote in Claudi's memory book during the last bits of floor mopping. After that, after the door was locked, well we left for the ferry port.
One of the longest walks of my life. Knowing the ending was so near it just caused my stomach to twist and knot. After arriving I sat with Kate for as long as possible. I didn't let go of her hand until they announced that boarding had started. We then hugged and cried into each other. It was, hmm well, ah. It's difficult to describe. I just know I don't want to feel that type of sadness again. She was leaving and we both knew we wouldn't be down the hall anymore. I must have looked back at least a dozen times as I walked away.
Cleaning occupied my time until my departure. Sammie came by my room to see if I wanted a ride to the station rather than lugging my bags there. Good thing he offered because I scrambled at the end to finish cleaning (stupid counter tops) and would have probably missed the train otherwise. Thanks again Sammie, you're a lifesaver.
The train ride was interesting. First off I didn't have a ticket. I had intended to buy one at one of the machines but none of my remaining cards (LCL accounted had been closed remember) had any chips in them. The machines don't like scanners. In the end I decided to just board the damn train. If they charged me whatever, I needed to arrive in Paris.
Second weird part is that it was overflowing with people. Fortunately I had a seat. And an arm rest. And a head cushion. Heh, sucked for so many other people. Still dunno why there were so many. It was a Sunday.
In the end I didn't have to pay anything. Sweet, just had a free ride to Paris. Not too shabby. Jonathan was there waiting for me since he so kindly volunteered to help me with my bags. The next day I found out my duffel bag (checked luggage) was on the boarder of the fifty pound limit and my backpack (carry on) was on the line of twenty pounds. Needless to say Jonathan was useful because seventy pounds of extra weight really slows me down.
A bus, a shuttle, and a bit of walking later we arrived Novotel, my residence for the night. The first thing I did after check in was take a shower. Scrubbing all that bleach and cleaning residue away was heavenly. Factor in fluffy towels and unlimited hot water and you have one happy MareBear.
To give you an idea of my transformation audience I went from gamer clothes (ripped up jeans, sneakers, sweatshirt) and turtle shell to a black dress, heels, and shawl. Jonathan was taking me out to dinner, needed to amp my game up. He was in a suit as I've so often seen him, looking attractive as ever. Wow. Glad Kate helped me pick out cute heels.
So I didn't know where we were going to eat. He had posted a link on his blog but I enjoy (controlled) surprises. It was this,
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| La George which sits atop the Pompidou Museum |
Dinner was lavishly fantastic and began with an entree of foie gras along with some white wine. Can't help but grin at that, foie gras is my favorite French dish. For the main course I had cod (another favorite) and Jonathan had duck. Part of me is sad at how delicious it was because it means I'll be without it when I leave. Hmm, that could be an incentive to go back. Always a focus for food.
We did take a break from our meal to stand outside on the patio area. Being together like that, Jonathan's arm around my waist as the city of lights sat before us. I believe that's how perfect contentment feels. Being an adult does have its moments. Thanks to you audience I'll always remember it too.
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